The Birth of Moses
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Now a 1man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.
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The woman conceived and bore a son, and 2when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
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When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushesa and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the 3reeds by the river bank.
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And 4his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
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Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.
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When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
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Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
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And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
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And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.
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When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became 5her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I 6drew him out of the water."b
Moses Flees to Midian
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One day, 7when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their 8burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.c
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He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he 9struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
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When 10he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?"
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He answered, 11"Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."
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When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But 12Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by 13a well.
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Now the 14priest of Midian had seven daughters, and 15they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
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The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and 16watered their flock.
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When they came home to their father 17Reuel, he said, "How is it that you have come home so soon today?"
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They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and 18watered the flock."
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He said to his daughters, "Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may 19eat bread."
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And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter 20Zipporah.
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She gave birth to a son, and he called his name 21Gershom, for he said, "I have been a 22sojournerd in a foreign land."
God Hears Israel's Groaning
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23During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel 24groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. 25Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)